


Limits

by PerfectlyImperfect42



Series: Untitled Triad Series [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Skye | Daisy Johnson, Protective Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 00:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7663270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerfectlyImperfect42/pseuds/PerfectlyImperfect42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daisy pushes herself too far to come to the rescue of her soulmates. Steve and Bucky must deal with the aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Limits

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to ozhawk and ladywinterlight for the awesome beta job! This is a prequel to my fic Their Loving Arms. It's been suggested that I do another story about how they all met. Let me know if anybody is interested in that.

Steve hated it when a mission went sideways. The plan had been simple: get into the warehouse the weapons dealers were using, lay some charges, and then blow the place to Hell. Unfortunately their intel had been wrong about a lot of very important things, like how good the security at the warehouse was and how many people would be there. Needless to say, there were more men than he and Bucky had been expecting and they had seen the two super soldiers coming.

After a mad dash through the woods surrounding the isolated building, he and Bucky were now pinned down behind a rocky outcropping. Their information had also been wrong about what kind of weapons were being stored at the facility, a fact Steve lamented while he tried to use his shield to cover the two of them as an RPG landed nearby. Dirt rained down on them, rocks banging off the metal.

“Any bright ideas, Stevie? Because I’m almost out of ammo,” Bucky supplied before leaning around their shelter to return fire.

Steve pulled his friend back behind the shield just as another explosive round hit. “Nothing coming to mind right now.” This was very bad. He was doing his best to keep a lid on his panic, knowing that Daisy would be able to easily sense the strong emotion through their bond.

They’d insisted they didn’t need her for this mission and had encouraged her to take one herself. Bucky tended to find the protectiveness she displayed towards them both since they had bonded amusing. Considering her history, Steve thought it was understandable. Daisy was gonna be so mad at them for this.

He reached for his comms. “Barton, any chance of some backup?” he asked breathlessly.

“Little busy now, Cap,” came the reply, the sound of gunfire loud in the background. “You guys did a good job drawing most of them away but a few are still here and somebody has to blow this place.”

Steve huffed out a laugh. “So happy we could help.”

Next to him, Bucky swore. “If we don’t die, Daisy’s gonna kill us herself.”

“Yep,” Steve agreed.

“Backup inbound,” an unfamiliar voice interrupted over their channel, “in the form of a _really_ pissed off Quake. Those poor bastards.”

Steve exchanged a wide-eyed look with Bucky. Yep, they were definitely in trouble.

The ground beneath them shook, a roar of sound announcing their soulmate’s arrival. Bucky risked a glance when the sound of bullets pinging off rock ceased. He quickly motioned for Steve to follow before stepping away from their shelter.

It was hard not to be awed by the sight of Daisy, feet planted and hands outstretched, creating a barrier to stop the incoming bullets.

“You didn’t need my help, huh?” Her annoyance was clear in her tone. Bucky and Steve instinctively ducked as another RPG came in, only to see it hit the barrier and the explosive force from it get redirected back out. “Really?!”

Steve didn’t miss the way one of her knees slightly buckled at the effort. Once he was looking, he noticed that her entire frame seemed to be shaking under the strain. “Dai….Quake,” he corrected himself, “you got this?”

“Yea, j-just a little… tired,” she answered in a trembling voice. “My powers kind of got a good workout already.”

“Cap, heading back to the Quinjet now. Should be there in under 5 minutes,” Clint informed them. A series of explosions echoed in the distance.

“Working on clearing you a safe landing space,” Daisy told him, blocking another RPG. “Mike, you gotta be my eyes. How are they spread?”

“They’re all lined up for you,” Mike replied. “One good push should do it.”

“Got it.” Daisy took a deep breath and suddenly her barrier was rushing outwards, away from them. Trees _shattered_ in the shockwave’s path, the sound of gunfire replaced with faint screams then silence.

When the dust settled, the area in front of them was reduced to nothing more than a flat clearing for at least 60 meters.

“I think… I m-may have put t-too much...” Daisy swayed on her feet, knees collapsing.

Steve ran forward, heart in his throat, and caught her just before she hit the ground. “Daisy?!” He studied her face with worry, noting her closed eyes and the trickle of blood that flowed from her nose. He checked her pulse and breathed a small sigh of relief at finding it strong and steady.

Bucky was right behind him. “Is she okay?!”

Steve nodded, gathering her into his arms as Clint landed the Quinjet nearby. The two of them ran, jumping in before the ramp fully opened. “We’re in! Daisy’s down!” He settled onto the floor with Daisy’s limp formed cradled against his chest.

Clint glanced back and swore while he got them back in the air. “She get hit? And what the Hell is she even doing here? Thought she had her own mission with Peterson.”

“That’s a damn good question.” Steve felt fury swirling inside of him. “Peterson, want to explain this?”

The man in question’s voice drifted over the speakers. “We were on our way back and Daisy started freaking. Said you guys were in trouble and threatened to down the damn jet if I didn’t get her here. I’ve learned not to argue with her when she’s that determined.”

Bucky sighed. “That sounds like her.” He knelt down next to Steve. “How is she?”

Steve shook his head. “Still unconscious but I can’t find any wounds.” He was edging closer to panic too. Steve had no idea what was wrong with her and the only outward sign she might be injured was the blood from her nose. Nothing but the static of an insensible mind was coming to him from her side of the bond.

“You said she’s unconscious?” Mike asked. “She got blood on her face?”

Steve felt his heart skip a beat. “Yes. You know what this is?”

“Simmons calls it ‘power fatigue’,” Peterson explained. “Daisy was using her ability a lot during our mission. She was practically running on fumes by the time we got here. She should be fine in about a day. Expect her to be tired and have one Hell of a headache when she wakes up. I’m assuming you guys are gonna be hanging on to her?”

Steve’s arms tightened protectively around his soulmate.

“Pretty sure I speak for Steve too when I say we’d feel better if she recovered with us,” Bucky told Mike.

“No problem, man,” Mike responded. He clearly understood what they were going through. “I’ll let Coulson know she’s in good hands. Do me a favor? Tell her next time I’m calling her damn bluff.”

Bucky smiled. “Will do.” He gently brushed a strand of hair from Daisy’s face. “I think she’s got your martyr complex, Stevie. Don’t know when to back down from a fight, always gotta be the hero.”

“I guess this is some kinda payback for all the grief I put you through then, huh?” Steve rested his cheek against her hair and took in a deep breath to calm himself. “We only just found her. Don’t know what I’d do if we lost her.”

Bucky moved to sit beside Steve, arm wrapping around his shoulders. “Hey. You heard Peterson, punk. Nothing a little rest won’t fix. Plus she’ll have the two of us looking after her.”

 

* * *

 

 

Steve insisted on getting Daisy checked out when they got back to the Tower, just in case. Their soulmate woke up in the middle of the exam, groggy and disoriented. The sight of Steve and Bucky by her side was the only thing that calmed her.

Dr. Cho smiled at them kindly. “Dr. Simmons sent over her files and it does indeed look like a case of ‘power fatigue’. I recommend rest and a low stress environment for the next few days. She should be fine with over-the-counter headache medication.”

Steve felt a rush of relief. He knew Peterson was probably right, but it was better to hear it from a doctor too. He refused to take any chances with their precious third.

“Thanks, Doc. We’ll take real good care of her,” Bucky promised.

When Cho left, they turned their full attention to Daisy. She had fallen back into a light doze on the exam table as soon as Dr. Cho had finished. Steve gently stroked the side of her face until her eyes fluttered open. “Hey, sweetheart. How ya feelin?”

Daisy scrunched up her face in disapproval. “Like my head's gonna fall off. What happn’d?”

Bucky took one of her hands and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “You overdid it, doll. Scared us half to death.”

Her expression turned contrite. “Sorry. Knew you guys were in trouble and had to help. Steve worries loudly.”

Steve ducked his head and chuckled. “I guess I gotta work on that. I was trying not to let it through.”

“We can talk about that and some other stuff later,” Bucky interjected. “Right now I think we should get our best girl home so she can rest. A shower wouldn’t hurt either.”

Daisy smiled. “A shower sounds nice. Not sure I can stand though.”

Bucky picked her up in a bridal carry, placing a kiss on her forehead. “You let us worry about that, kitten.”

It didn’t take them long to get to their floor. The space had originally belonged to just Steve, but after Bucky’s return the two soulmates had shared. When they found Daisy, the three of them lived there together.

Steve led the way through the apartment, stopping only to collect a glass of water and two pills. Bucky carefully placed Daisy down on the bed and reached towards him for the glass of water. Steve gave it him before placing the two pills in Daisy’s shaking hand and guiding it to her mouth. Buck held the glass for her while she drank.

With the pills taken care of, he and Bucky quickly stripped off their uniforms. A shower definitely sounded like a good idea, especially after all the dirt that had been dumped on them. Steve tossed the last of his garments into the basket and knelt in front of Daisy to help her. He went for her boots first. “Let’s get you out of this so we can take that shower.”

Daisy was able to undo her belt then remove her gauntlets and jacket on her own, but she needed to lean against him for balance when taking off the rest. Steve used her closeness to remove her bra. Normally he’d be blushing up a storm right now, but his mind focused itself solely on the task of taking care of Daisy.

He heard the sound of water running as Bucky started the shower. Steve gathered Daisy up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. From the sheer size of the shower stall, Steve was convinced Stark had known he had two soulmates when the man had it built.

“I _can_ walk, you know,” Daisy grumbled. He and Bucky both knew she enjoyed when they showed off their strength, but she hated being babied.

“Doc said you need to rest, baby doll. Let us do the work,” Bucky soothed her, a soft smile playing across his lips.

Steve did put her down on her own feet under the warm spray but, as if to prove their point, she couldn’t fully support herself. Daisy ended up leaning against Bucky, arms wrapped around his neck and head resting against his left shoulder. She let out a sigh of contentment as the cool metal of his arm pressed against her forehead. Her easy acceptance of Bucky’s prosthetic still made the both of them smile.

Quickly washing himself, Steve watched out of the corner of his eye as Bucky held Daisy close. Steve loved the look of utter peace Bucky got during these quiet moments. Having Daisy with them and safe never failed to soothe his friend and lover’s troubled soul.

“Your turn, sweetheart,” Steve murmured when he was done. He knew it was still too soon for the medicine to have done any good against her headache. Steve tenderly washed her back and hair, drawing a happy hum from her when he massaged her scalp. Once he finished, Bucky turned Daisy so her back was to his chest. Steve made quick work of washing the rest of her. He paused briefly when he reached the skin of her stomach, fingers stopping to linger over the scars there. Everyone on the team had been furious when Daisy told the story behind them. To this day, none of the Avengers commented on the fact that Ian Quinn’s body was discovered soon after.

Bucky moved her under the water to rinse the suds away while Steve jumped out and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. He had a second towel ready when Bucky scooped up a giggling Daisy and passed her over.

Getting them both dried and dressed was a quick task. Steve was drying her hair when Bucky shut off the water and joined them. Daisy had started to drift off to sleep by the time they tucked her in between them. Steve pulled her into his arms, placing a kiss on her head as Bucky tugged the covers up over them all. With both of his soulmates now safe and taken care of for the moment, he allowed himself to rest.

 

* * *

 

 

The room was dark when Steve’s eyes next blinked open. A glance at the bedside clock showed it was already late evening. They’d been asleep for several hours. Steve went about extricating himself from the tangle of his soulmates’ limbs with as much care as possible, unsurprised to see Bucky open one ice blue eye at the movement. Steve mouthed “dinner” before pointing at the clock. Bucky let out a huff, indicating that Steve could handle it, then pulled Daisy closer and resettled with her head under his chin. Steve allowed himself a moment to smile at the sight before quietly heading towards the kitchen.

He was trying to decide on something quick to make when JARVIS interrupted.

“Captain, Sir has taken the liberty of arranging a meal for you, Sergeant Barnes and Agent Johnson. I can have it sent up whenever you’re ready.”

Steve smiled. He had no doubt that it would be all of Daisy’s favorites. Stark had quickly taken a liking to his soulmate’s brains and snark, affectionately dubbing her Mini-me.

“Thanks, JARVIS. Give us fifteen minutes,” he requested.

“As you wish, Captain. I’ll alert the kitchen staff to have the food ready then.”

Convincing Daisy to wake up and eat was not an easy task. Bucky often teased that her stubbornness rivaled Steve’s own. Between the two of them they were able to get her up and resettled against Bucky on the couch before the food arrived. Her grumbling at being dragged from bed died down when the former assassin laced his left hand together with one of hers. He’d been self-conscious about the limb at first but Daisy’s almost childlike fascination with it managed to set him at ease. Bucky’s fingers twitched at the sensation of her gently tracing the plates on his palm with her thumb.

Steve used the distraction to go collect the food from the Stark employee waiting patiently at the elevator. The cart was layered in covered plates, the smells that wafted up from them confirming Daisy would be pleased. He rolled it into the apartment and Bucky turned up the sides of the cart to convert it into a table while Steve dragged a chair over.

They ate in a comfortable silence, enjoying the meal as well as the company. He watched with amusement as Bucky snuck extra helpings onto Daisy’s plate when she wasn’t looking. Both super soldiers knew she needed the additional fuel for her abilities almost as much as they did. If Daisy noticed his antics, she didn’t comment.

Bucky’s face settled into a serious expression once everyone was finished. “So, how ‘bout that talk I said we were gonna have?”

Her eyes darted from one face to another and back. “Okay…?”

“First off, you,” he pointed right at Steve, “need to work on controlling what emotions you transfer.” Steve went to argue, but Bucky cut him off. “You worrying is a fact of life, punk, but once you start it sets her off. What if she’d still been in the middle of a mission? She don’t need a distraction like that.”

Steve had to admit Bucky made a very good point. He would never be able to forgive himself if Daisy got injured on a mission because he couldn’t keep a lid on what he was feeling. “You’re right. I’ll work on it.”

Bucky gave him a nod of approval then turned to Daisy. “And you need to be more careful about pushing yourself too far. The situation we were in was bad, but we’ve made it through bad plenty of times before. Leave the stupid stunts to Stevie and me. The two of us may get a bit banged up but we recover fast, not like you and this power fatigue thing. Who knows what kind of damage you could do if you push too hard?”

Daisy looked appropriately contrite at the reprimand. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I felt Steve’s worry and I kind of panicked. You guys mean everything to me. Not sure what I would do if I lost you.”

“You ain’t gonna lose us,” Buck told her as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Least not anytime soon. We’re pretty tough, and I try and make sure Stevie keeps the stupid to a minimum.”

Steve chuckled and stood to take the cart back to the elevator. “I think you got that mixed up, jerk. I’m the one who keeps you from being stupid.”

Bucky grinned. “Whatever you say, punk.”

Shaking his head, Steve pushed the cart out into the hall. JARVIS assured him someone would be up to collect it soon so he thanked the AI and headed back. He still wasn’t used to the high level of service in the Tower, but Steve was grateful to be able to get back to his soulmates sooner.

He found them still on the couch when he returned. Daisy was lying with her head pillowed against Bucky’s thigh and his right hand running through her hair. Steve lifted her feet before taking the other end of the sofa and settling them in his lap.

Letting out a long breath, Steve allowed himself to relax into the cushions. He ignored the mindless show playing on the TV, instead directing his focus to Daisy. He and Bucky had been in awe of her power when they met. With her abilities, she was stronger than both of them put together. This incident would serve as a reminder to them all that she was still fragile despite that strength. Steve knew he would do whatever he could to keep this from happening again, certain that Bucky felt the same. Just like Buck had said, she had the two of them looking out for her. Daisy would be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> P.S.: Come visit me on [Tumblr](http://spacecase42.tumblr.com/). Say hi. I may post about stories I'm working on.


End file.
